A WATCHFUL eye is being kept on dry-stone waller Keith Ledger by a most unusual workmate.

The award-winning craftsman is accompanied by his hawk, Bomber, much to the surprise of passers-by.

The duo travel the lengths of North Yorkshire, and while Bomber sits tethered to his perch, Keith, gets to work.

"I have been interested in falconry since I was a lad, and as I was turning 40 last year I decided to get Bomber as an early birthday present," he said.

"My job is ideal for me to take him along, especially if we are out on the moors so he can stretch his wings.

"He is a real character - very protective and greedy, but loves to play. One of his favourite games is to dive towards me and then fly off in the opposite direction."

Keith, a recent winner of the Millennium Wall Competition, is already surrounded by a menagerie of pets at home in Boltby, near Thirsk.

He recently bought a jackal buzzard as a present for his partner, Margaret Handley.